Call for Proposals

Call for Proposals | Celebrating 25 Years of Excellence

Don’t miss your opportunity to participate in our 25th Annual Conference! Share your knowledge and enthusiasm about the profession with your colleagues by presenting a session in Milwaukee. The deadline to submit proposals is Friday, November 3, 2017.

The CIVSA Annual Conference is specifically for professionals working in key administrative roles at the gateways to institutions of higher learning. The conference provides numerous educational opportunities in a variety of program formats, including 60-minute sessions presented by CIVSA members. Attendees come with a wide-range of expertise and experiences. Presentations are focused on the many disciplines in the field of collegiate information and serving campus visitors.

We encourage you to submit a presentation proposal early, as sessions will be reviewed on a rolling basis. This will enable us to build more robust and comprehensive programming. Also, for those members who are required to have an accepted proposal to attend conference, this will allow us to notify presenters earlier, giving your university the opportunity to secure lower registration rates. Whether this is your first conference or you are a seasoned attendee, we encourage you to submit a proposal. Can’t decide on just one topic to present? Feel free to submit multiple proposals. Don’t miss this rewarding opportunity to share your creative ideas and expertise with others.

Here’s some additional information to assist you as you plan your proposal:

Session Format
Concurrent 60-minute sessions. These may be a traditional educational session with 1-2 presenters or a panel format with the lead presenter moderating and 3-4 panelists. Sessions should be presented as a flexible model that can be adapted to any institution. Presenters are expected to share knowledge, research, and experiences in a way that can be adapted by others. Educational sessions are not an opportunity to promote specific products or services.

To assist the Programming and Education Committee to develop a balanced educational program, please classify your presentation into one of these themes:

First Look: The Campus Experience

Support for the Frontline: Student Development

View from the Top: Development for Seasoned Professionals

Primary Partnerships: Campus & Community Engagement

Initial Impressions: Event Planning

Staying Current: Technology & Research

Behind the Scenes: CRM & Event Management Platforms

Selection Process
The Conference Program Committee reviews and selects programs that demonstrate the greatest potential for contributing to the quality of the conference. The committee looks for presentations that represent the various roles of the collegiate information and visitor services profession and are dedicated to the development of a program that is of interest to advanced, middle, and entry-level professionals.

Individuals submitting proposals will be notified about the status of their proposals by December 15, 2017.

Review of submissions will be based on the following criteria:

Overall quality

Relevance to the collegiate information and visitor services profession

Provide all requested information. Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

Identify the educational track that best fits your presentation

Address what attendees can expect to gain by attending your session, examples of what will be discussed, and the intended audience in your session abstract

Be thoughtful when considering the intended audience for your presentation as this information helps attendees determine which sessions best meet their professional development needs. You will have the following options to choose from:

Seasoned Staff (for those who have been in the profession 5+ years)

First-Timer (for those who are first timers, or who have been in the profession 0-5 years)

Student Supervisor (for those who supervise or manage student workers, ambassadors, etc. The students may be paid or volunteer)